Recommended Games

Five Best Wednesday Columns

Matt Miller in The Washington Post on Republicans and health care Miller takes Republicans to task as the House plans a symbolic vote to repeal Obamacare and several governors' refuse to participate in the Medicaid expansion. "The Republican message to uninsured Americans in the wake of the Supreme Court's recent ruling couldn't be clearer: You're on your own." Miller points out that Republicans used to be more interested in putting forward their own proposals to expand coverage, and says their failure to do so now gives Obama a huge opening. "Here's what you should do Mr. President," he says. "[R]emind Mitt Romney that the ranks of the uninsured today are equal to the combined populations of Oklahoma, Connecticut, Iowa [etc.] Then ask your opponent: Would America turn its back on the citizens of these 25 states if everyone there lacked basic health coverage?"

RELATED: Five Best Friday Columns

Milos Forman in The New York Times on Obama's 'socialism' Forman, the Academy Award-winning director, compares the alleged socialism of President Obama to the Marxist-Leninist socialism under which he grew up in Czechoslovakia. "The critics cry, 'Obamacare is socialism!'" he writes. "It offends me, and cheapens the experience of millions who lived, and continue to live, under brutal forms of socialism." Forman says Americans should continue to debate the appropriate role of the federal government, but they should keep in mind the language they use. "If all participants play fair and strive for the common good, we can achieve a harmony that eluded the doctrinaire socialist projects. But if just one section, or even one player, is out of tune, the music will disintegrate into cacophony."

RELATED: Five Best Wednesday Columns

Holman W. Jenkins Jr. in The Wall Street Journal on engaging with China's Huawei Jenkins explores the U.S. government's relationship with Huawei, an enormous China-based telecom equipment provider. The U.S. often discourages American wireless operators from purchasing the equipment out of fear that it could come with espionage devices. "But for the penny-ante, highly perishable gains that state intelligence agencies typically produce, governments understand it makes no sense to endanger their most successful companies, the ones with large and vulnerable overseas assets, revenues and personnel," he says. We should see engagement with a Chinese company as opportunity. "In return for greater access to the U.S. market, Huawei should be expected to list its shares on a U.S. stock exchange, forcing the company into greater compliance with Western standards of transparency and accountability."

RELATED: Five Best Tuesday Columns

Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times on political ads McManus says that the American political ad can rise to the level of art form. In a year when over $1 billion will be spent airing them, he devotes a weekend to watching the many we've already seen, and doling out some awards for most misleading, most effective. most controversial, etc. "[W]atching them is only the first step. You owe it to yourself and your fellow voters to see what the fact-checkers say too," he says. "Don't take your own side's claims as gospel; they're cutting corners too."

RELATED: Five Best Tuesday Columns

John Steele Gordon in The Wall Street Journal on air conditioning Though things are already cooling off in the East this week, it's fun to read Gordon's history (and appreciation) of man's attempts at air conditioning, from the rotary fan to the window unit. From there, he considers the political implications of a country that can stand to live in hotter climates. "Today the Confederate states have 160 electoral votes. Texas gained four [electoral] votes in the last 10 years, Florida two. The outcome of presidential races this year and in the future could well turn on the fact that Willis Carrier invented air conditioning a century ago."

Christmas decoration is displayed at the Christmas market near the ‘Marienplatz’ square in Munich, Germany; a fan dressed as a stormtrooper waves a mini light saber during the Japan premiere of ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ in Tokyo, Japan; and a view of light shining through a gate during a media preview event for the new summer exhibition ‘Versailles: Treasures from the Palace’ at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia are some of the photos of the day. (AP/EPA/Getty/Reuters) See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr.

Paula Broadwell is finally breaking her silence over her affair with former CIA director and retired Gen. David Petraeus because she says she wants to reclaim her “own narrative” and career. Broadwell, a former military intelligence officer and biographer, admitted to having an extramarital affair with Petraeus, whom she met while researching a book on his life. Petraeus, who is reportedly being considered by President-elect Donald Trump for secretary of state, later admitted he shared classified information with Broadwell.

A federal judge in Michigan on Wednesday revoked his order requiring a recount of the state's presidential vote sought by Jill Stein, siding with a state appeals court that found the Green Party candidate had no grounds to mount the challenge. U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith's ruling has the effect of halting the recount in Michigan, at least for now, following conflicting rulings a day earlier by federal and state appeals courts. The Michigan Court of Appeals on Tuesday ordered the recount stopped, while the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Goldsmith's earlier decision and said the process should proceed.

In an effort to combat illegal mining and logging, agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, supported by military police, conduct operations in the municipality of Novo Progresso, Para State, northern Brazil. (Getty Images) Photographs by Ueslei Marcelino/Getty Images See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr .

Donald Trump’s former campaign manager says the president-elect has already accomplished more in the month since his election than President Obama has in the last four years. “Donald Trump, in the first four weeks of his presidency, has done more to help this country than I think Barack Obama has done in the last four years,” Corey Lewandowski said in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Tuesday. Lewandowski, an informal Trump adviser expected to join his administration, said Trump has a shown a stronger “commitment” to the U.S. military and American businesses than the Obama administration’s second term by vowing “to reduce the amount of government regulations so they can continue to grow” at a rate higher than the current economy.

After inadvertently sending out a promotional email on Wednesday regarding the NES Classic Edition, Best Buy sent out a clarification email later in the day to confirm that it would in fact have the hard-to-find console in stock at retail stores beginning on December 20th.
Last night, Oscar Muñoz ( @oscarinmv on Twitter ) received an email from Best Buy informing him that the NES Classic Edition would be "available in all Best Buy stores tomorrow, December 20." At the time, "tomorrow" was actually December 8th, which explains why Best Buy had to send another email minutes later explaining that NES Classic Edition consoles would actually be in stores on the 20th (via: @matthewrex ).
https://twitter.com/matthewrex/status/806661882941583360
Unsurprisingly, there will be limited quantities available, so if you want to grab an NES Classic Edition from Best Buy later this month, you'll probably need to be at your local store the minute it opens.
Nothing in the email suggests that any stock will be available on BestBuy.com , but it still might be worth keeping an eye out on the website come December 20th. We'll be sure to update this post if we hear anything definitive about the NES Classic Edition coming to Best Buy's website.
If you don't want to wait that long, Amazon said on Twitter earlier this week that it would have "exciting announcements to make in the coming week" for NES Classic Edition fans. We won't know for sure until the retailer shares more details, but we have to assume that means Amazon will have more units soon as well.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama man convicted of killing a store clerk is scheduled to be executed Thursday, but lawyers for the former Eagle Scout are urging it be blocked because a judge overrode a jury recommendation in imposing the death sentence.